Hyundai Motor Co.’s first plug-in hybrid crossover, the 2021 Santa Fe PHEV, is slated to hit dealer showrooms in mid-July. It will add another choice to the market for consumers seeking a non-luxury utility vehicle that combines a decent amount of all-electric range with the freedom of a highly efficient gas-electric powertrain.
The plug-in Santa Fe follows the new 2021 Santa Fe Hybrid to market by about four months and will initially be sold only states that have adopted California’s stringent emissions standards. These include, in addition to California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.
Hyundai dealers in other states can, at their option, order Santa Fe PHEVs for customers. In March the standard hybrid goes on sale in all 50 states.
The Korean automaker hasn’t yet released pricing for either the hybrid or PHEV Santa Fe models, the first of its SUVs to receive gas-electric hybrid systems.
Both also get standard all-wheel drive. Hyundai’s mechanical system can shift as much as half the available power to the rear wheels. That’s different than a 20% to 30% rear power shift in the electric AWD systems used by most PHEVs. The extra power to the rear wheels helps improve hill climbing and traction on loose surfaces.
Hyundai’s AWD-hybrid powertrains are more complex than the gas-only versions, so expect the hybrid variants to run several thousand dollars above similarly equipped internal combustion Santa Fe trims. The PHEV’s price point could also run several thousand above comparable hybrid trims.
More Power
Adding electric motor power to its 1.6-liter turbocharged gas engine gives both hybrid types more horsepower than the gas-only lower trims’ 191 horsepower.
The standard hybrid delivers a peak 226 horsepower while the PHEV system churns out 260. In either system, the gas engine delivers 177 horsepower with the electric motor adding the rest.
The 2021 Santa Fe lineup is a continuation of a design introduced in 2018 and updated for the 2021 model year. Both the hybrid and PHEV are new powertrain variants, but the packaging is familiar.
Outside, the freshened 2021 Santa Fe features restyled front and rear fascia, a new grille and new lighting. The only differentiation between the two electrified models is the badging and the addition of a second “filler door” on the plug-in to hide its charge port.
Why PHEV?
The Santa Fe is one of Hyundai’s best-selling models and is critical to the company’s success in the growing crossover segment. As more automakers adopt electrification as a market strategy, a number of plug-in hybrids have appeared in the U.S., starting with Mitsubishi’s Outlander PHEV in 2018.
A plug-in hybrid differs from a hybrid because it typically has a much larger battery and sometimes a more powerful electric motor. The PHEV’s battery is recharged from the power grid (thus “plug-in”) and gives the vehicle the ability to travel substantial distances at highway speeds in all-electric mode.
To remain competitive—and perhaps set the stage for going all-electric–Hyundai needed a plug-in hybrid. The Santa Fe provided the real estate necessary to add a powerful electric motor and a fairly large and heavy 13.9 kilowatt-hour battery pack to an all-wheel drive model.
It’s categorized as a midsize but is smaller than most others in the class. Hyundai expects it to compete mainly with a quartet of smaller compact crossover PHEVs from other non-luxury brands; the aforementioned Outlander, Ford’s Escape PHEV, Toyota’s RAV4 Prime and Subaru’s smaller Crosstrek Hybrid.
Bigger but Less Range
Because the Santa Fe is larger than its competitors it offers more cargo capacity—72.1 cubic feet with the rear seat backs folded down—and a bit more passenger room.
Toyota’s RAV4 Prime, the cargo champ until the Santa Fe PHEV enters the fray, has 69.8 cubic feet of total cargo space, for instance, and its total passenger cabin volume is about 10% smaller than the Santa Fe’s.
But the Santa Fe PHEV’s all-electric range is only mid-pack. At Hyundai’s estimated 30 miles, that range is almost 30% less than the RAV4 Prime’s 42 miles of electric travel.
Using a larger battery to gain more electric range was possible but would have increased costs and hurt the Santa Fe PHEV’s competitive position, said Hyundai product planner Trevor Lai.
Trim Levels and Features
The 2021 Santa Fe PHEV will be offered in only two trims: a well-equipped SEL Convenience and a features-stuffed Limited. The standard hybrid gets three trim levels: Blue Convenience, SEL Premium and Limited.
All get a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, or driver information screen, and all but the two base models get a 12.25-inch infotainment touchscreen with navigation. The Blue hybrid and SEL plug-in get 8-inch touchscreens. Apple Car Play and Android Auto compatibility is standard.
The Limited PHEV and Limited hybrid trims also get premium audio and a panoramic sunroof, leather upholstery, heated and ventilated front and rear seats and a heated steering wheel standard. Wireless phone charging is an available feature on upper trims. The hybrid and plug-in hybrid variants also get unique alloy wheels.
Safety
All 2021 Santa Fe hybrid and PHEV trims get Hyundai’s Smart Sense advanced driver-assistance safety technology package. It includes forward collision assist and braking with pedestrian detection, lane keeping and lane following assist, blind spot and rear cross-traffic warning and a driver attention warning. There’s also a safe exit feature that warns of oncoming traffic when the vehicle is parked and the traffic-side doors are opened.
The Limited trims also get Remote Smart Parking Assist, which guides the driverless vehicle in and out of tight parking space. A surround-view camera helps locate obstacles and includes a blind spot monitor when the vehicle’s in motion. A parking distance warning system helps drivers avoid bumper damage when parking.
Charging and PHEV Rivalry
The 2021 Santa Fe PHEV’s battery has a small buffer zone to prevent overheating and deep discharge damage, but offers about 12.9 kWh of usable power.
With the standard 3.3-kilowatt on-board charger it can be fully replenished —when starting with a 90% discharged battery—in about four hours.
Like most plug-in hybrids, the Santa Fe doesn’t have DC fast-charge capability. Automakers find this too expensive a feature to add to a vehicle that isn’t solely dependent on its batteries.
There aren’t many plug-in hybrid crossovers, but those that are in the market provide the Santa Fe PHEV with some fairly tough competition.
The Santa Fe may be larger than its rivals, but not by much. The rest of the pack all are of similar size and cargo capacity with passenger compartment dimensions for head, shoulder and legroom varying by an inch or less.
But shoppers looking at plug-in hybrids usually value fuel efficiency and all-electric range at least as much as cargo space and head and legroom. The Santa Fe PHEV is mid-pack in those categories.
Its Hyundai-estimated 30 miles of all-electric range and 33 mpg combined city and highway efficiency when operating in hybrid mode trails the upcoming 2021 Ford Escape PHEV’s 37 miles of range and 41 combined mpg as well as the Toyota RAV4 Prime’s 42 miles of range and 38 combined mpg.
The Subaru Crosstrek plug-in hybrid splits the numbers, with its 17 miles of electric range heavily trailing the Santa Fe. But its 35 combined mpg in hybrid mode comes out ahead.
The Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV is at the bottom with 22 to 25 miles of electric range and 25 combined mpg in hybrid mode.
The Equivalency Factor
Auto makers love to tout one other figure for PHEVs: miles per gallon equivalent, or MPGe.
In real-world terms, it means little because it measures the miles a vehicle could travel on 33.7-kWh of electricity—the energy equivalent of a gallon of gasoline. That’s nearly double the juice carried in the Toyota RAV4 Prime’s 18.1 kWh battery, the segment’s largest.
The MPGe figure is useful, though, as a way to compare the relative energy efficiency of the various PHEVs, with the higher equivalency ratings denoting more efficient powertrains.
Here again the Santa Fe, with a manufacturer-estimated 77 MPGe, trails the pack. The Escape PHEV returns 100 MPGe, followed by the RAV4 Prime at 94 MPGe and the Subaru Crosstrek at 90 MPGe. The Mitsubishi finishes last with 74 MPGe.
Power, Cargo and Such
The Santa Fe’ PHEV’s 260 peak horsepower should deliver plenty of punch. But if output is a big consideration, the Toyota’s class-leading 302 horsepower wins the race.
Hyundai rates the Santa Fe PHEV for a maximum tow capacity of 2,000 pounds. That trails the segment-leading RAV4 Prime’s 2,500-pound rating. However, the RAV4 Prime’s 69.8 cubic-feet of total cargo space is bested by the Santa Fe’s, which also leads in capacity with the rear seats up—36.4 cubic feet—versus the RAV4’s 33.5 cubic-feet.
The Ford Escape PHEV’s hybrid system mates a front-mounted electric motor and 2.5-liter gas engine to deliver 221 peak horsepower. It is tow-rated at 1,500 pounds and has 30.7 cubic-feet of cargo capacity, which expands to 60.8 cubic-feet with the rear seats folded down. The Escape is the only one in the segment that doesn’t have all-wheel drive.
Mitsubishi’s Outlander PHEV has two electric motors and a 2.4-liter gas engine, for a maximum of 205 horsepower. It is tow rated at 1,500 pounds and has seats-up cargo capacity of 30.4 cubic feet, increasing to 62.8 cubic feet with the rear seat backs folded.
Subaru’s Crosstrek hybrid, the smallest of the crossover PHEVs, mates an electric motor with a 2.0-liter engine for 148 peak horsepower. It is tow rated at 1,000 pounds and has just 15.9 cubic-feet of cargo space behind the seats; 43.1 cubic feet with the rear seats folded.
Like the Santa Fe, the Crosstrek uses a mechanical all-wheel drive system, and Subaru’s is generally considered to be one of the best in the industry.
In the end, choosing a Santa Fe over one of the competitors is likely to boil down to pricing—excepted to be announced closer to the on-sale date for the hybrid and PHEV variants—and the relative value to shoppers of looks, space, power, off-road capabilities and tow capacity.
Wrapping all of that into a single package, the 2021 Santa Fe PHEV and Santa Fe Hybrid both look to be solid entries on the small crossover segment.